Letter from L.D.Trotsky

Top Secret

Vladimir Ilyich

We are currently having a discussion in party-military circles on the question of military doctrine. I think that in the final analysis the discussion will be useful, but at the moment there is a lot of nonsense and nonsense. In particular, the accusation is being made against the Red Army that its "military doctrine" (the whole argument revolves around this pompous word) does not include the idea of offensive revolutionary wars. I am now writing a series of articles or a pamphlet on this subject, in which, among other things, I want to bring together what the Party said about revolutionary wars in different periods - before October and after October. Can you tell me from memory where and what you wrote on this subject? Were there no resolutions?

Your Trotsky.

23/11-1921 г.

Note by Lenin

Tov. Trotsky.

I don't think there was a whole one. There was a lot of fragmentary stuff: most of it in "Against the Current" (about "Disarmament," about "The Collapse of the Second International," etc.).

Probably there were, especially in 1914-7. Do you have the book: "The RCP in the Resolutions of its Congresses 1903 - 1921"? P[e]tr[ogre]d. 1921? If not, I can send it to you.

Hi.

Lenin.

Pamphlet: "Socialism and War," Geneva, 1915, etc. E.g., p. 145, note] (2nd edition])1.

Hi.

Lenin.

Fond 2, op. 1, d. 17399 - copy.

1V.I.Lenin recommends to L.D.Trotsky the following books: Zinoviev G.E., Lenin V.I. Against the Current. A Collection of Articles from "Social-Demokrat", "Kommunist" and "Sbornik Social-Demokrat"; The Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) in the Resolutions of its Congresses 1903-1921. Collection of Resolutions of the Congresses of the Party. Petrograd, 1921; Zinoviev G.E., Lenin V.I. Socialism and War (Attitude of the RSDLP to War). Geneva, 1915.